Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 6, 2026

A Method of Trigonometric Modelling of Seasonal Variation Demonstrated with Multiple Sclerosis Relapse Data
Published on: December 9, 2015
May osteoarticular infections be influenced by vitamin D status? An observational study on selected patients
Valentina Signori1, Carlo L Romanò2, Elena De Vecchi3
1Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry and Microbiology, IRCCS Galeazzi Orthopedic Institute, Via R. Galeazzi 4, 20161, Milan, Italy. valentina.signori@hotmail.it.
Background:
Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with a high number of health outcomes, and its role on the immune system has been deeply investigated in recent years, although poor data are still available on vitamin D status in orthopedic infections including those of prosthetic implants.
Methods:
We focused on preoperative values of 25(OH)D in selected groups of patients with septic (Group A) or aseptic (Group B) prosthetic loosening, infective bone disease such as septic arthritis and osteomyelitis (Group C) and other orthopedic pathologies (Group D) to evaluate differences in the vitamin D status.
Results:
A high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was recorded among the study population (16.5 ± 5.4 ng/mL, mean ± SD). Interestingly, all patients with an infection presented a higher 25(OH)D concentration (17.7 ± 5.3 ng/mL) in respect to uninfected ones (15.1 ± 5.6 ng/mL). Significantly higher levels of 25(OH)D were observed in patients with prosthetic joint infection (18.5 ± 6.5 ng/mL), when compared with those presenting an aseptic loosening (13.6 ± 9.4 ng/mL).
Conclusions:
Deficiency in vitamin D levels have been found in orthopaedic patients. Prosthetic joint infections seems to be associated to higher values of vitamin D in respect to other bone infections or to other orthopaedic conditions requiring surgery. More studies are needed to improve the knowledge on vitamin D status in these patients and to better clarify the role of vitamin D in relation to osteoarticular infections.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Role of Vitamins in Maintaining Bone Health
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is involved in the process of bone remodeling. Retinoic acid, the active metabolite of Vitamin A, has nuclear receptors in osteoblasts and osteoclasts, which are involved in bone remodeling.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 acts as a cofactor during the formation of osteoblast-related proteins, such as osteocalcin. Vitamin B12 plays a role...
Connective Tissue Cell Types
Fat cells (adipocytes), smooth muscle cells (myoblasts), and bone cells (osteoblasts) are some connective tissue cell types. Some immune system cells...
Bone Disorders
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...
Rheumatic Heart Disease II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Studies
Role of Skin in Vitamin D Synthesis
The solar UV B rays (290-315 nm) are absorbed by the skin, and 7-dehydrocholesterol (provitamin D3) photolyzes it to previtamin D3, which undergoes a rapid transformation to vitamin...
Factors Affecting the Risk of Infection
The integrity and count of the white blood cells help the body resist pathogens and fight infection. When impaired, it reduces the body's resistance to pathogens. The acidic pH levels of the gastrointestinal, genitourinary tracts, and skin...

